Story Photos
 Photo by Roger Werth Karla Ammons talks about her fears of losing a local Planned Parenthood clinic earlier this week. |
County commissioners waive Planned Parenthood clinic's rent
Friday, March 16, 2007 6:42 AM PDT
By Barbara LaBoe
Printable version
E-mail this articlePlanned Parenthood may not be leaving Cowlitz County after all.
County commissioners have agreed to waive the $400 a month office rent to keep the clinic here. They also may be willing to help with overhead costs as well as more marketing, Commission Chairwoman Kathleen Johnson said Thursday.
Commissioners still need a firm cost estimate from Planned Parenthood about how much help it needs with overhead. They've also asked the health department to make a recommendation in two weeks about whether the county should take over the clinic's sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment duties. But Johnson said she's optimistic about retaining Planned Parenthood.
"I thought it was positive," she said of her meeting with Planned Parenthood officials.
Planned Parenthood of Western Washington announced last month it was closing its once-a-week clinic. The clinic rented space from the county's health department in Longview and provided free or low-cost gynecologic exams, birth control and STD testing and treatment. It has not been staffed for two weeks, but no formal closure decision has been made.
After local outcry and calls from the commissioners, the group is reconsidering the closure, said officials in Planned Parenthood's Seattle headquarters.
The closure announcement was particularly upsetting for county commissioners because of the county's STD epidemic. The county has the highest rate of gonorrhea in the state for the second year in a row.
"We want to tackle the numbers that have Cowlitz County that high," Johnson said. "This isn't a trophy that we want any longer."
The apparent change of heart is great news for Karla Ammons, who has used the clinic for several years.
Ammons, 35, has a painful condition that causes cysts to grow on her ovaries. It's controlled with birth control pills that she obtained in regular visits to Planned Parenthood.
So when she called recently to make her next appointment, Ammons was shocked to hear the Longview clinic was closed and might not reopen. Then she got angry.
"I've got medical insurance and can go (to a private doctor's office), but it's really frustrating because Planned Parenthood is very near and dear to my heart," she said. "They're so nonjudgmental and pro health and help you no questions asked. They have a whole different feel and focus on sexual health, and that's important."
"We need to find a way to save this as a county," Ammons said. "We need to do something."
While Johnson is willing to work with Planned Parenthood, she also said she needs assurances they'll reach out to more residents.
The clinic saw only five to eight patients a week when it was open. Johnson said Planned Parenthood attributes that partly to an advertising ban imposed by a previous county commission. If the clinic stays, commissioners will expect an aggressive but tasteful campaign to draw more patients into the clinic, Johnson said.
"Our whole target is getting our STD rates down and five people a week isn't going to do it," she said.
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